It was good while it lasted, but now summer has come to an end.

From today the nights will be longer than the day and it will become noticeably colder as we move towards winter.

Yesterday was the autumn equinox, also known as the September equinox, which marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, while in the Southern Hemisphere it signals the beginning of spring.

Equinox has its roots in Latin and means “equal night.”

The equinox occurs due to the natural tilting of the earth. During the summer the Northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun and gets the majority of the light.

However, in winter the Southern Hemisphere ‘trades places’ and tilts towards the sun.

Historically the autumn and spring equinoxes were marked for festival observances and may have played a role in religious ceremonies at megalithic structures such as Stonehenge and Ales Stenar in southern Sweden.

Even today hundreds of New-age pagans descend on Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, to celebrate the end of summer.

The spring equinox will take place on March 20.